Just bought a 180 and it leaks..

Jhncf

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 23, 2014
602
196
61
Scotland
Bought a 180 gal tonight, noticed a small wet patch on the stand near the back when we were moving it and he said it was the filter hose that had been leaking, I even said "I hope that's not from the tank leaking" and he guaranteed me it was watertight, I believed him because we picked the tank up from his shop.. Got it home, filled it up and sure enough it's leaking at that exact spot! Can I get away with just resealing the part that's leaking or will the whole tank need done? Really annoyed because it took me 5 hours to empty my other two tanks, move fish and clean/set up the new tank!
 

that_fish_Guy

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2013
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Strip off all the silicone from the inside seams and clean the area off really well and reseal. That's what I'd do. It's not too hard the only thing that sucks is the waiting. I waited a week for mine to cure even if it seemed the silicone had set I waited for ensurance. Or if you paid a lot and don't want to deal with it call him up let him see for himself and see if he can refund you. I mean if he said for sure the tank IS WATER TIGHT I'd call him out on it.

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skjl47

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
May 16, 2011
4,397
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Bought a 180 gal tonight, noticed a small wet patch on the stand near the back when we were moving it and he said it was the filter hose that had been leaking, I even said "I hope that's not from the tank leaking" and he guaranteed me it was watertight, I believed him because we picked the tank up from his shop.. Got it home, filled it up and sure enough it's leaking at that exact spot! Can I get away with just resealing the part that's leaking or will the whole tank need done? Really annoyed because it took me 5 hours to empty my other two tanks, move fish and clean/set up the new tank!
Hello; In my experience trying to patch just a small section of a leaking tank has not often worked. Any more i usually reseal the entire tank.

I would talk to the guy as suggested to see if he will stand by his word or was just unloading a leaking tank. I learned the hard way buying a used tank back in 1972. No longer will I but a dirty used tank as the the one I did buy had bad scratches on the glass.

When buying a used tank it (1) has to be clean so I can see the condition of the glass. (2) If empty it has to be so cheap that a reseal is worth it if it leaks. (3) I test fill all tanks, even new ones, before setting them up with fish and stuff.

Good luck
 

Jhncf

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 23, 2014
602
196
61
Scotland
Thanks guys, messaged him and he said he honestly didn't know it was leaking, he thought the wet patch I pointed out to him on the stand was from him cleaning the tank.. He said that he must have nicked the silicone with a razor blade when he was removing the algae and cleaning it out because it was previously used as a marine tank. I don't believe him but not much I can do really.. He has said he will give me free silicone from his shop to reseal it which is better than nothing I suppose.. To add the the bad night I had, the 80L bucket I had some of the fish in snapped when I tried to move it and emptied 80 litres of water all over my floor! Fan, dehumidifier and alot of drying with towels and it's almost dry.. Seriously felt like throwing in the towel last night!
 

predatorkeeper87

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2014
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I'd be going right back to that shop and telling him he's resealing it lol. He knew good and well that tank was leaking...but I'd tell him you need double the silicone for the job and at least walk away with something extra.
 

Jhncf

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 23, 2014
602
196
61
Scotland
I know what I'd like to do but I won't go there lol.. Any idea how much silicone I would need for a 180? Need to find out what silicone is beat, not sure if the ge silicone is available in the UK.
 

predatorkeeper87

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2014
4,293
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pennsylvania
well, if hes a lfs, hes got aquarium grade stuff. I don't know how big the tubes are for that or what brands there are to be honest haha. if they are typical sized silicone tubes, I'd make him give you like 8 or 9 and tell him youre doing a tear down and rebuild lol. I take no pity on crooked people lol.
 

Jhncf

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 23, 2014
602
196
61
Scotland
Really that many? I thought it would take two or three lol.. Thing is, I can't really demand anything from him really, he doesn't have to give me anything if he doesn't want to. He's just setting the shop up at the moment, if this is the way he does business I don't think he'll be open for too long..
 

that_fish_Guy

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2013
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I'd be on him every chance I get. That's messed up what he did. You don't do that to people especially a fellow fish keeper. I'd cut him no slack and either demand a complete refund or have him or one of his guys strip the silicone and reseal properly. That's total BS especially if he said for SURE it didn't leak in the first place. If he said he isn't sure if it's leaking or not or last time he filled it held water then so be it but since he assured you that it didn't leak I would not let him get away with it. But hey that's just what I'd do. Next time ask for the tank to be filled when you pick it up then wait for it to be drained when you are there or ask him to take a good video of the tank when it's filled and ask him to say the date in the video so you know it dosent leak for sure.

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